Flood Church - Audio Podcast

Gold School: PlankeyeIn any situation, pointing out someone else’s flaws is always a risk. This Sunday, let’s heed Jesus as he reminds us where our focus on fixing could be and probably should be.This Sunday we continue our new series, “Gold School: The Golden Rule in Our Tarnished World,” about how to look to Jesus for how to treat ourselves and those around us.

Gold School: Gold Standard"Treat others how you want to be treated.” This is, of course, the Golden Rule. We all have interpretations of what it means. Kindness. Thoughtfulness. Generosity. However in practice, we actually tend to live out the lesser known “Silver Rule,” which means don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you. This negative form of the Golden Rule has been found in a variety of ancient religious texts, from rabbinic Judaism to Hinduism, Confucianism, and Buddhism to Greekand Roman ethical teachings. But it was Jesus who first put forward the positive form of the maxim.   On its surface, it seems like the same - but is it, really? Ostensibly, the Silver Rule could be perfectly practiced by simply doing nothing on behalf of others. By turning the command from the negative to the positive, Jesus takes this passive “live and let live” adage and blows the lid off it, transforming it into a far reaching demand for unselfish love in action. This

Fight, Flight, or Light: Locked DoorsThe things we fear the most are often the things that cannot see: decisions being made, the feelings of others, what the future holds. The list goes on. Though you can’t see it, you do sense it: anxiety, foreboding, dread, a certainty that something is about to go terribly wrong, and there’s nothing we can do to prevent it. In the hours after Jesus is crucified and dies, we see the disciples having that same experience - something has gone terribly awry. Not knowing what or who is coming next, they wait, powerless to the fearthat holds them captive.Then, something truly wondrous happens, and Jesus is among them. In that moment, their fear is replaced by something far more powerful - a love that will transform the world and change the future.

Home: Life, Breath, and Everything ElseAs beings created by the most creative Being in the universe, I believe we are all endowed with an ability to express creativity, in our own unique way. Our creativity is how we connect to our Creator, which is why it is one of Flood’s central values as a faith community.

Home: A Flood of Grace and TruthWith Jesus, there is only truth - and grace. Consider the woman at the well in John 4 - he doesn’t sugar-coat the truth about her life, but he also doesn’t condemn her for it. What does he do? He offers her a new way to live. A way that is honest and forgiven. A way that sets her free.Grace and truth might seem like opposite ideals, but for us at Flood, they are inseparable and essential elements of the with-God life. 

Home: Giving TogetherWhat does it mean to be truly generous?   This week, we look at Acts 4 to see what it looks like when we respond with the same generosity that God pours out to us.

Home: In CourageCourage is not a quality reserved for audacious acts of heroism or the biggest, bravest person in the room. Often, the most courageous among us are the ones who, despite fear, do what they know to be right and trust the results to the Lord.This Sunday, we explore what it looks like to be a courageous movement of God’s hope and healing in San Diego and beyond.

Home: Time to Get UpWe love the idea of a cure-all. A medicine that can cure any ailment, heal any wound, restore whatever is broken in us.  But there is only one true source of healing, and it’s not a magic potion. It is a transformational relationship with Jesus, and a lifelong practice of surrendering the parts of ourselves that need healing into his loving hands.This Sunday we unpack the third and final clause of our vision statement, how to become a movement of healing.

Home: The Power of HopeWhen it comes down to it, we have a fundamental misunderstanding of the true purpose of hope. Hope isn’t just the means to an end - it’s the formational spiritual discipline of holding longing in the midst of the unknown. It is also the vulnerable discipline of allowing others to “hold us” as we wait in hope.This Sunday we continue our new series “Home: Opening Doors for a New Generation” by looking at the essential role of hopein any movement of God.

Home: Unstoppable ForceWe are beginning a brand new series called “Home: Opening Doors for a New Generation.” This is a series all about our vision, understanding exactly who we are and what God has called us to do as Flood Church, in San Diego and Encinitas, in this new chapter of owning our very own church home.This Sunday we look at Acts, and see how God changes our lives through healthy rhythms of prayer.

No Man's Land: Worried SickMost of us have a very well-developed Fear in our heads - that voice of constant worry, ruminating over anything and everything that might go wrong. Some of us also feel guilty when we worry, because somewhere along the way we were taught that worrying means we don’t love or trust God. The question then becomes, is fear and worry wrong?Rather than worry over that question, let’s focus on Jesus, who fully understood what it means to worry. The truth is, in him we find a God who desires to carry that burden with us.This Sunday we take a closer look at what Jesus tells us about the role of worry in our lives.

No Man's Land: Measure Our TreasureThe things we tend to treasure - money, security, success - don't result in a fulfilling life. When we mis-prioritize those things over and above our true treasure, which is God, we end up missing the true journey that is a greater adventure than any blockbuster there is.This Sunday we explore how to treasure what matters most.

No Man's Land: Fasting With GodFasting isn’t as simple as just skipping a meal or two. Like everything Jesus taught us, its meaning goes much deeper. It’s about integrating all of ourselves - mind, soul, and body - into our worship. It’s about consecrating every little bit of us - even our appetites - to God’s will, purposes,and desires for us.  This Sunday we take a closer look at this important but oftenforgotten way to worship.

No Man's Land: The UnforgivenTo forgive is indeed a quality of the divine, but it is much more than that. It is also a transcendent experience, and one that must pervade each of us from God. Forgiveness is not a chore; it is a God-dependent journey where we begin to receive more love, live in greater hope and freely give mercy away.This Sunday we take a closer look at this essential partof the human experience.

No Man's Land: The Disciples' PrayerWe are spiritually hardwired to pray. Prayer is about reaching out for the love and peace of God in the midst of experiences in daily life. It’s how we think, reflect, share our worries and concerns, and communicate with the Creator of the universe. This Sunday we deepen our understanding of how prayer leads us further into a God-dependent journey. 

No Man's Land: Open-HandedToo many of us make occasional, big gestures of generosity, which makes it almost impossible to cultivate generosity as a routine habit in our lives.Jesus, however, offers us a different regimen. He invites us to reorient how we approach generosity - not as the thing we do every once in a while to garner attention and praise, but as the rhythm of our lives. This Sunday we look at what it means to embrace this virtuous cycle. 

No Man's Land: Approval AddictionWhat happens when our self-worth is contingent on this outside approval? Our sense of belonging becomes overly attached to what others think of us and we become hamsters in the wheel, chasing more and more external approval that can never truly make us feel like we’re enough.Thankfully, there is one who knows and accepts us completely - not just what we project to the world. Our God likes us, loves us, and loves to love us. This Sunday we start a brand new series, No Man’s Land: The Uncharted Terrain that Leads Us to God.

Epiphany: A God Dependent JourneyGod is the source of all things and is in all things. God permeates  all of creation - including us.  The question, then, is where do we find God?  The answer is the journey towards ever-deepening trust in God’s provision and power in our lives.  This Sunday we explore this simple yet profound reality.

A Promise Delivered: Mighty GodThrough the birth of Jesus we learn that might will indeed make right - Jesus, our Mighty God, will make right the wrongs of this world in a kingdom that will last forever. This story is one worth (re-)considering because it can be our story… if we are willing to see ourselves in the pages. 

A Promise Delivered: Wonderful CounselorWe're quick to scoff at and dismiss the notion of a kind and benevolent King, because humanity has been down that road before - despite their many promises, no political ruler in history has ruled that way. In our cynicism, we can also dismiss Jesus. Yet Jesus is that King. We just misunderstand his strategy. His rule is different because his kingdom is unlike any kingdom we've ever seen, fathom or honestly can realize on our own. Christmas reminds us that unto us is born a King. Wise. Loving. Good. Powerful. The question is - what is his strategy? If we understand this, we will have find a Kingdom that is greater any government that will ever exist.